Glenn Youngkin (9 December 1966-) was the Republican Governor of Virginia from 15 January 2022, succeeding Ralph Northam.
Biography[]
Glenn Youngkin was born in Richmond, Virginia on 9 December 1966, and he was raised in Virginia Beach. Youngkin worked as an investment banker and worked for the Carlyle Group in both Washington DC and London, becoming its co-CEO on 1 January 2018. In January 2021, Youngkin launched a self-funded gubernatorial bid in Virginia, running as a Republican. Youngkin was endorsed by Donald Trump after employing Trumpist rhetoric in his successful primary campaign, during which he came out against abortion and gun control measures such as red flag laws, handgun purchase limitations, and universal background checks. After winning the primary, however, Youngkin toned down his previously hardline rhetoric in a bid to win suburban swing voters, and he used his $300 million personal fortune to fund a television ad offensive in June 2021, making him a household name and a serious competitor to the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, former Governor Terry McAuliffe.
Youngkin opposed Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, and, according to McAuliffe's campaign, also supported "gutting Virginians’ health care, banning abortions and putting more guns on the streets." Meanwhile, Youngkin's campaign claimed that he was "taking his message of making Virginia the best place in America to live and work and raise a family to every corner of the Commonwealth and inviting Virginians of all backgrounds and creeds to join (his) movement." Youngkin called for greater "election integrity" (voter suppression laws), touted his opposition to transgender rights and to the teaching of critical race theory in schools, and, in a televised ad featuring both white and African-American supporters, he promised to "create a rip-roaring economy and schools that challenge (Virginia's) children to be their very best."
On 2 November 2021, he narrowly won the gubernatorial election with 50.7% of the vote in an upset victory seen as a backlash against the social, racial, and COVID-19 migration policies of the Biden administration; its Build Back Better Act and perceived economic interventionism; as well as cultural liberalism and "wokeism" within the Democratic Party. Youngkin promised to ban the teaching of critical race theory within public schools on "day one", push back against certain COVID-19 mandates and restrictions, and advocate for a low tax and small government agenda within the state of Virginia
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